According to the minister, the national carrier had earlier missed two previous deadlines of joining the alliance, but later fulfilled them.

“The deadline for complying with the minimum joining requirements (MJRs) could not be achieved by Air India due to delay in implementation of a single ‘AI’ code and the new passenger service system (PSS),” the minister said.

On Aug 1, Star Alliance in a letter to the Air India chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav said that its executive board was unable to decide on the induction date, no other reason was given to the flag carrier.

The national carrier was extended an invitation to join Star Alliance in December 2007 in Beijing, with Lufthansa as the sponsor. But delays in software and other operational integration after the merger of Indian Airlines and Air India had put paid to plans.

Global interline packs like Star Alliance and Oneworld entail several benefits to member carriers like improved product offering, better service standards, access to new markets and premium customers and partnership with leading global carriers.

Formed in 1997, Star Alliance is a consortium of 27 airlines, including Lufthansa, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways and Swiss, among other major airlines of the world. Its members have over 4,000 aircraft and serve 181 countries.